1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method for representing virtual information in a view of a real environment.
2. Background Information
Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology in which virtual data are overlaid with reality and which thus facilitates the association of data with reality. The use of mobile AR systems is already known in the prior art. In the past years, high-performance mobile devices (e.g. smartphones) turned out to be suitable for AR application. These devices meanwhile have comparatively large color displays, installed cameras, good processors and additional sensors, such as e.g. orientation sensors and GPS. In addition thereto, the position of the device can be approximated via radio networks.
In the past, there were various projects implemented on mobile devices using AR. At first, there were used special optical marks for ascertaining the position and orientation of the device. As regards AR, which is usable for large areas as well and thus is also referred to as large area AR, there have also been published hints for sensible representation of objects in connection with HMDs (Head Mounted Displays) (S. Feiner, B. MacIntyre, T. Höllerer, and A. Webster. A touring machine: Prototyping 3d mobile augmented reality systems for exploring the urban environment. In Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium on Wearable Computers, pages 74-81, 1997). In more recent times, there are also approaches to utilize GPS and the orientation sensor systems of modern devices.
However, the approaches published so far have the disadvantage that they do not permit a simple integration of other users in the AR scenes. In addition thereto, most systems based on GPS and compass have the disadvantage that these devices cogently have to be provided and that there may be great inaccuracies occurring.
US 2009/0179895 A1 describes a method of blending in three-dimensional notes or annotations in an image of a real environment (“street view”). A user, by way of a selection box in the image, selects the location at which an annotation is to be blended in. Thereafter, the selection box is projected on a three-dimensional model in order to determine a position of the annotation in relation to the image. Furthermore, location data corresponding to the projection on the three-dimensional model are determined and associated with the annotation entered by the user. The annotation is stored together with the location data in a database of a server and can be blended in another image of the real environment in accordance with the location data.
The term “tagging” in general and in the following is used to describe enriching of the reality with additional information by a user. Approaches realized so far in connection with tagging include the placing of objects in map views (e.g. Google Maps), taking photographs of location points and storing these images together with additional commentaries as well as creating text messages at specific location points. There is the disadvantage that remote viewers and users can no longer obtain AR access to interactive scenes in the world. Only so-called screenshots (screen images) of the AR scene can be viewed, but no longer be altered.
It is the object of the present invention to indicate a method for representing virtual information in a view of a real environment, which permits users to interactively view AR image scenes created by other users by means of augmented reality and to guarantee high accuracy and user friendliness in doing so.